Expectations For Harsin

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

One of the biggest things people complained about with Harsin is he was not from the SEC and didn't know how to recruit here. Some not all of those same people are now for hiring an NFL coach next. That means in most cases you pick up a guy who has never recruited anywhere and so you now expect him to be a great recruiter. One of the reasons a lot of NFL coaches went the NFL route instead of the college route is so they don't have to deal with recruiting.   

Coaching college versus NFL is a total different landscape. In NFL you are dealing with professional players not teenagers. In NFL you don't have to deal with recruiting, parents, compliance, boosters, athletic department, etc.  NFL the coach and General Manager are a team that interface on a regular basis. In College Coach and AD should be a team but AD has responsibilities across the whole sports pantheon not just football.  

You could find a great coach from the NFL who might turn a program around but one most wouldn't want to go college route and two for most the learning curve would be difficult assuming you found an NFL coach who could adjust to the college game and because it would take time the coach could be gone before he could turn the program around.

If we don't give Harsin enough time to really turn the program around whether he works out or not. It will be difficult to find any big name coach who would want to come to Auburn.  I am one of the people who think Harsin might be what we need but I could be wrong but if we dump him after two years we will be hurting the long term future of Auburn as top coaches will want no part of Auburn.

Remember Harsin came in late in recruiting cycle, was not from this area so it was going to take time to develop relationships, we were in a pandemic cutting out a lot of ability to go and build the relationships.  He also dropped the ball when he had a few opportunities to build those relationships. Add the Transfer Portal and NIL it was not an ideal time. 

I have seen Harsin change dramatically since last year, he is building the relationships, he is interacting with Boosters, students HS coaches, etc. That change should help some with 2023 class but more down the road assuming there is a down the road. 

I am not giving Harsin a pass he has to have a solid program on the field this year winning at least 7 games and he has to have a solid recruiting class that addresses our biggest needs. If he does that he needs at least 1 maybe 2 more years.  If he turns it around FANTASTIC if not then he should be gone.  At that time if we let him go any coaches we approach to come to Auburn will realize we will give them enough time to turn us into the program we all want Auburn to have.

 

[Rednilla 5,390]

3 minutes ago, AuburnNTexas said:

I have seen Harsin change dramatically since last year, he is building the relationships, he is interacting with Boosters, students HS coaches, etc. That change should help some with 2023 class but more down the road assuming there is a down the road. 

This is perhaps the biggest thing to me: he's growing and adapting. We haven't had a coach who did that since at least Tubs, and maybe not since Dye. Time will tell if he's able to adapt and fit at Auburn or not, but I'd really love for it to happen.

[DAG 33,980]

1 hour ago, Rednilla said:

I do refute his points. And then he moves the goal posts. It's been his song and dance for over a decade on here.

BTW, unless I miss my mark, Mikey doesn't want a glimmer of hope, because he wants to be proven right about how we never should have fired Malzahn because we'd turn into Tennessee. 

His points have been refuted numerous of times. Majority of posters know this . If the one who questions this can’t find when, where and how after the numerous thread interactions, that’s a them issue. 

[au302 2,669]

54 minutes ago, Rednilla said:

The way I understand it is that Harsin was behind the curve with NIL in February, but that he's gotten up to speed (at least for the most part) at this point and we're in a much better spot with the 2023 kids.

Realistically, unless we get at least 8 wins, cracking the recruiting top 10 is probably going to be tough to do. I haven't really paid attention to this year's crop of recruits (all my recruiting energy is still being spent on basketball, and probably will continue that way until we either sign a transfer wing or decide to discontinue the search for a 13th man), but I feel like Harsin needs to show them that he's legit before the big dogs are going to take him seriously.

And we'll probably have to sign at least one 5 star player to make the top 10, more probably two or three, and double digit 4 star players. That's probably going to be a tough haul to pull unless Harsin has pretty decent job security, and even though I'm pleased with the patience shown by most of the crowd in this poll, if we don't win but 6 or 7 games next year, Hars is on the hot seat in 2023.

Even if he was behind, I worry about the organization behind it. He can be all for it but if we don't have the funds or the willingness it's moot. Case in point with the portal. A lot of the solid portal players are probably leaving to leverage deals, and we keep missing. I know there's other reasons, but I bet at least some of it has to do with that. And in terms of HS class I'm in agreement. I'm honestly more concerned about what we get at DL/OL/EDGE. I'd rather top 15 with 10 at those positions than a top 10 with great skill talent but whiffs at those positions 

[Rednilla 5,390]

14 minutes ago, au302 said:

Even if he was behind, I worry about the organization behind it. He can be all for it but if we don't have the funds or the willingness it's moot. Case in point with the portal. A lot of the solid portal players are probably leaving to leverage deals, and we keep missing. I know there's other reasons, but I bet at least some of it has to do with that. And in terms of HS class I'm in agreement. I'm honestly more concerned about what we get at DL/OL/EDGE. I'd rather top 15 with 10 at those positions than a top 10 with great skill talent but whiffs at those positions 

Football has always been won or lost in the trenches, and everyone who understands the game knows this, so yeah, absolutely. If we finish outside the top 10, but we sign four to five 4 star offensive linemen and three to four 4 star defensive linemen (including edge), then we're still in a good spot. 

I mean, we still need at least a few skill players sprinkled in on both sides, but honestly, a great line will make mediocre skill players look a lot better than they are. So yeah, focusing on the line is a solid strategy.

BTW, what I was getting at is that I think we've mostly gotten our ducks in a row now, and do have the funds to be competitive going forward.

[JerryAU 1,659]

10 minutes ago, au302 said:

Even if he was behind, I worry about the organization behind it. He can be all for it but if we don't have the funds or the willingness it's moot. Case in point with the portal. A lot of the solid portal players are probably leaving to leverage deals, and we keep missing. I know there's other reasons, but I bet at least some of it has to do with that. And in terms of HS class I'm in agreement. I'm honestly more concerned about what we get at DL/OL/EDGE. I'd rather top 15 with 10 at those positions than a top 10 with great skill talent but whiffs at those positions 

The portal is where NIL strength is paramount.  We've seen many players navigate the NIL waters before they jump to the portal and then immediately land at programs where it's rumored they were paid +$1M at their new school. 

Some have claimed tampering and it's very possible.  But there are ways to work around legitimate "tampering" and make contact with a star player on another team, let him know he has lucrative options elsewhere without a coaching staff having to make contact.  

[icanthearyou 4,462]

14 minutes ago, Rednilla said:

Football has always been won or lost in the trenches, and everyone who understands the game knows this, so yeah, absolutely. If we finish outside the top 10, but we sign four to five 4 star offensive linemen and three to four 4 star defensive linemen (including edge), then we're still in a good spot. 

I mean, we still need at least a few skill players sprinkled in on both sides, but honestly, a great line will make mediocre skill players look a lot better than they are. So yeah, focusing on the line is a solid strategy.

BTW, what I was getting at is that I think we've mostly gotten our ducks in a row now, and do have the funds to be competitive going forward.

Agree.  You cannot be good without being good upfront.  However, to be a contender in the modern game, you have to have both.

[au302 2,669]

21 minutes ago, JerryAU said:

The portal is where NIL strength is paramount.  We've seen many players navigate the NIL waters before they jump to the portal and then immediately land at programs where it's rumored they were paid +$1M at their new school. 

Some have claimed tampering and it's very possible.  But there are ways to work around legitimate "tampering" and make contact with a star player on another team, let him know he has lucrative options elsewhere without a coaching staff having to make contact.  

Absolutely. Addison is the prime example. Everyone knew he was all USC from the get go, but he toured a few other schools to make it look like there was no tampering and probably to leverage the NIL deal USC offered and see if anyone else would up it. 

I feel like that has happened to us. The OG from ULL. Everyone knew he was probably following Napier to Florida, but we got him on campus. Allegedly his NIL demands were "ridiculous" and we laughed him off campus. I bet he had a deal in place with Florida from the jump and was seeing if us or LSU would get into a bidding war to drive his price up. Judging by the articles about how by the book Harsin is when it comes to recruiting, I bet we aren't as aggressive with back door talks with NIL as these other schools

[Rednilla 5,390]

16 minutes ago, icanthearyou said:

Agree.  You cannot be good without being good upfront.  However, to be a contender in the modern game, you have to have both.

Lot easier to elevate a 3 star RB with solid line play than it is to elevate a 3 star OL with solid RB play. But you're right, you do have to have solid skills, too, it's just that the line is more important.

[Didba 5,256]

7 hours ago, Rednilla said:

So no understanding that it's a new regime, no time to set up shop his way, he's got to produce instantly or he's gotta go. That's your stance?

It's Mikey, his stance was Gustav should've never been hired and that Harsin is Satan.

[icanthearyou 4,462]

24 minutes ago, Rednilla said:

Lot easier to elevate a 3 star RB with solid line play than it is to elevate a 3 star OL with solid RB play. But you're right, you do have to have solid skills, too, it's just that the line is more important.

Agree again.  NFL draft by position tells you a lot.

[augolf1716 21,109]

2 hours ago, Rednilla said:

(all my recruiting energy is still being spent on basketball,

Put your damn big britches ......wth you don't have enough energy for football crap you're not that old..... poor baby

[Rednilla 5,390]

20 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

Put your damn big britches ......wth you don't have enough energy for football crap you're not that old..... poor baby

I just haven't been ready to dive in to the ocean of a new recruiting season yet. I've heard things and seen indicators from people about certain aspects of recruiting this year, but I've been busy with other pursuits and haven't taken the time to educate myself further. 

[Hank2020 3,199]

1 hour ago, Didba said:

It's Mikey, his stance was Gustav should've never been hired and that Harsin is Satan.

The good thing about pre-season expectations/prognostications is they are about the same as rearends.

[augolf1716 21,109]

1 hour ago, Rednilla said:

I just haven't been ready to dive in to the ocean of a new recruiting season yet. I've heard things and seen indicators from people about certain aspects of recruiting this year, but I've been busy with other pursuits and haven't taken the time to educate myself further. 

 

On a side note Auburn's men golf team got off to a decent start today in the Nationals

[AUwent 3,748]

6 hours ago, Rednilla said:

Football has always been won or lost in the trenches, and everyone who understands the game knows this, so yeah, absolutely. If we finish outside the top 10, but we sign four to five 4 star offensive linemen and three to four 4 star defensive linemen (including edge), then we're still in a good spot. 

I mean, we still need at least a few skill players sprinkled in on both sides, but honestly, a great line will make mediocre skill players look a lot better than they are. So yeah, focusing on the line is a solid strategy.

BTW, what I was getting at is that I think we've mostly gotten our ducks in a row now, and do have the funds to be competitive going forward.

Linemen, I believe, are the most important positions in football.

Edited May 28, 2022 by AUwent

[augolf1716 21,109]

11 hours ago, AUwent said:

Linemen, I believe, are the most important positions in football.

Great defensive linemen are the hardest to get

[Mikey 16,578]

19 hours ago, Rednilla said:

I do refute his points. And then he moves the goal posts. It's been his song and dance for over a decade on here.

BTW, unless I miss my mark, Mikey doesn't want a glimmer of hope, because he wants to be proven right about how we never should have fired Malzahn because we'd turn into Tennessee. 

You keep claiming this when you know it's false. For yet another instance, I call BS. Quote a post of mine with a link where I say we should not have fired Malzahn. You can't do it, but you keep posting your false narrative.

You don't refute my points, you post your personal, opposing opinions as though they are fact, which they are certainly not.

 

[Mikey 16,578]

17 hours ago, Didba said:

It's Mikey, his stance was Gustav should've never been hired and that Harsin is Satan.

I suppose you meant to type he never should have been fired. If you ever graduate, watch out for that type of error, it could be costly.

As for your BS: I present you with the same challenge that I have made to Rednilla numerous times. Post a link to a quote of mine where I said Gus shouldn't have been fired. Just one link and quote. He can't do it, and you won't be able to either. Just because some of you nurture a false narrative in your heads doesn't make your falsehood true.

[icanthearyou 4,462]

20 hours ago, augolf1716 said:

Put your damn big britches ......wth you don't have enough energy for football crap you're not that old..... poor baby

Old man yelling at clouds, telling the children to get off his lawn.

[augolf1716 21,109]

2 hours ago, icanthearyou said:

Old man yelling at clouds, telling the children to get off his lawn.

That works as well not so sure about yelling at clouds seems a little weird....

[Rednilla 5,390]

8 hours ago, Mikey said:

You keep claiming this when you know it's false. For yet another instance, I call BS. Quote a post of mine with a link where I say we should not have fired Malzahn. You can't do it, but you keep posting your false narrative.

By the time we actually fired him, you'd given up the ghost because you knew nobody was listening, but before he got fired you were constantly defending his position because we didn't need to become like Tennessee, going through coach after coach looking for the guy to get us over the top. No, we were supposed to roll with Malzahn and take the once every four years of being in the hunt for the SEC crown.

See, those of us who have been here know this already. No one wants to schlog back through thousands of posts to piece together the argument, because we all know you'll just move the goalposts again.

[Didba 5,256]

3 hours ago, Rednilla said:

By the time we actually fired him, you'd given up the ghost because you knew nobody was listening, but before he got fired you were constantly defending his position because we didn't need to become like Tennessee, going through coach after coach looking for the guy to get us over the top. No, we were supposed to roll with Malzahn and take the once every four years of being in the hunt for the SEC crown.

See, those of us who have been here know this already. No one wants to schlog back through thousands of posts to piece together the argument, because we all know you'll just move the goalposts again.

@Mikey  See this as per your question. 

[Didba 5,256]

On 5/28/2022 at 8:45 AM, Mikey said:

I suppose you meant to type he never should have been fired. If you ever graduate, watch out for that type of error, it could be costly.

I love that I get under your skin so much you resort to personal attacks on someone's intelligence based off of typing errors. Unfortunately for you I just graduated which now gives me two degrees.  Two more than you probably have... (giving you the benefit of the doubt that you at least obtained a high-school degree.)

You are a grotesque caricature of miserable auburn fans and its hilarious but also kinda sad. Mostly hilarious though.  Note that this isn't a personal insult but rather a statement of fact.

Edited May 29, 2022 by Didba

[Mikey 16,578]

5 hours ago, Rednilla said:

By the time we actually fired him, you'd given up the ghost because you knew nobody was listening, but before he got fired you were constantly defending his position because we didn't need to become like Tennessee, going through coach after coach looking for the guy to get us over the top. No, we were supposed to roll with Malzahn and take the once every four years of being in the hunt for the SEC crown.

See, those of us who have been here know this already. No one wants to schlog back through thousands of posts to piece together the argument, because we all know you'll just move the goalposts again.

In other words, you can't prove what you claim and you're just slinging BS. Of course, you and I both knew that already.